Cultivation of the Potatoe. - 19 



some time ago, that the developement of the tubers keeps 

 pace with that of the flowers ; and experiments especially 

 directed to this point have uniformly shown that the crop is 

 x much injured by the removal of the flowers. 



Cullen also tried the effect of cutting off the leaves as fast 

 as they grew; the consequence was that the potatoes pro- 

 duced no tubers, but merely filamentous roots. The experi- 

 ments of Anderson, showing the injury occasioned to potatoes 

 by the hasty removal of their leaves, are conclusive against 

 this practice. / 



The digging the crop has always been looked upon by 

 great cultivators as the most difficult part of this branch of 

 husbandry, and has been the main cause of their unwilling- 

 ness to undertake it on a large scale. This fear, has, how- 

 ever, greatly diminished ; it has, indeed, been found, that the 

 getting in may be performed with greater expedition and fa- 

 cility than was formerly thought possible. They are taken 

 up by means of a mattock, or potatoe hoe. When they are 

 planted according to my method, one man can with such an 

 instrument easily prepare work for twelve pickers. In this 

 manner potatoes can be taken up with less work than with 

 the plough. 



In gathering potatoes, I make use of boxes, which hold 

 about thirty bushels, and are placed on waggons. In one 

 side of these boxes is an opening, which shuts by means of a 

 sliding door. When the boxes arrive at the barn the door is 

 opened and a kind of gutter adapted to the opening, and 

 along this gutter the potatoes descend to the place intended 

 for them. 



Potatoes dug in dry weather may with safety be placed 

 immediately in a cellar, or store-house, protected from frost ; 

 but the place in which they are kept must be left open, to 

 afford a free circulation of air, till cold weather comes on. 



